1. Vaping-related lung illnesses are surging in the U.S. The number of possible cases in which people have been sickened with severe lung illness linked to e-cigarettes has more than doubled to 450 in 33 states, including three deaths and a possible fourth, health officials said.

State and federal health officials are working urgently to understand the causes, but in the meantime, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that “people should consider not using e-cigarette products.” C.D.C. officials said they believed that some “chemical” is involved as the cause, but they have not identified a single responsible “device, product or substance.”

2. The White House is weighing a substantial cut to the number of refugees allowed to enter the U.S., according to officials, a move that could scale back or possibly end a decades-old program that admits tens of thousands of people each year.

Two options are on the table, the officials said. One is to eliminate the program altogether, and the second is to cut refugee admissions by half or more, to 10,000 to 15,000 people, but reserve most of those spots for refugees from a few handpicked countries or groups with special status.

Both options would all but end America’s status as one of the leading places accepting refugees from around the world. Above, Rohingya refugees at a camp in Bangladesh.

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CreditDaniele Volpe for The New York Times

3. Hurricane Dorian is still wreaking havoc.

The Category 1 storm made landfall on the Outer Banks, where some people climbed into the attics of their homes to avoid surging floodwaters. The storm is moving out to sea with winds of 90 m.p.h.

In the Bahamas, at least 30 people are reported dead and many more are unaccounted for. Staggering estimates of the damage and destruction are starting to emerge. One catastrophe consulting firm estimated initial loss in the Bahamas was at least $7 billion. Above, Abaco Island on Friday, where the routine of life is gone.

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CreditAnastasiia Sapon for The New York Times

4. The Justice Department is investigating four automakers over a deal with California to reduce emissions, escalating a standoff over climate regulations.

In July, Ford Motor Company, Volkswagen of America, Honda and BMW announced that they had reached an agreement with California to stick with fuel-efficiency standards. Now, the Justice Department is investigating whether that agreement violated federal antitrust laws.

Separately, the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, said the central bank would keep the U.S. economy going, signaling the Fed is likely to cut interest rates again at its meeting this month.

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CreditLynsey Addario for The New York Times

6. “We have moved on without him.”

As Zimbabweans learned of the death of Robert Mugabe, who held the country in his grip for decades after its independence, the reaction was muted. His star had already faded in the two years since he was expelled from power. Above, Mr. Mugabe in 2012.

Our foreign correspondent has covered Zimbabwe since its inception, back when he sent his reports from remote bushlands by carrier pigeon. In an essay he recalls that “the tantalizing riddle of the Mugabe regime was the question of what turned a hero of Africa’s liberation — and self-proclaimed champion of universal suffrage — into a despot.”

The initial parts of the descent, as engines fired to slow it down from orbit, went smoothly. But less than two miles above the surface, the trajectory of the Chandrayaan-2, above, diverged from the planned path. The mission control room fell silent as communications from the lander were lost.

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CreditBen Solomon for The New York Times

8. Serena Williams is on a quest to notch her 24th Grand Slam singles title. Will Bianca Andreescu get in the way of that?

The U.S. Open women’s final on Saturday will be an intergenerational duel by any definition: Andreescu, who is 19, had not yet been born when Williams won her first Grand Slam singles title in 1999. Here’s what to expect from the match. The men’s final pairings will be settled tonight.

If Williams wins, she’ll tie Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam titles. The six women with the most singles titles have taken different paths to the top of the list.Here’s how they got there.

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CreditSTXfilms

9. There’s a sly superpower to the new movie “Hustlers”: In the guise of a stripper tale, it still takes time to focus on women’s lives.

With casting that matched Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu, above right, with Cardi B, above left, and Lizzo, the movie is being rushed to theaters. “It’s serving us a Hollywood stripper romp, but pivoting to show that life from the women’s point of view,” our culture reporter writes.

This week, we reported on a rogue tomato growing on a piling in the water around Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York’s East River. No one knows how it got there. No one planted it, no one planned it. But there it was all the same. And then, a second plant appeared, above.

Scientists interviewed by The Times said the most likely explanation was that a bird had ingested tomato seeds, then excreted them while flying over the river.

A kayaker discovered both of the plants. “This is our garden, I guess,” he said.

Have a fruitful weekend.

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